This invention relates generally to a process and apparatus for automatic object recognition. More specifically, the invention concerns a method and apparatus for automatic recognition of a road sign.
Systems aimed at reducing the amount of action required of a vehicle driver, and possibly making up for human errors on the part of the driver in the face of danger, have already been proposed.
For instance, in a general sense, automatic systems have been proposed for recognizing road signs, such as speed limit signs. According to these known systems, a correlation is established between (i) the image of the sign and (ii) a reference image corresponding to the sign's image, so that a signal can be provided when the two images are identical.
However, the systems proposed until now did not permit sufficiently fast processing and detection of the information to provide a sufficiently quick response in the driving of the vehicle, such as required for braking.